Amy (Tianyuan) Li (She/Her)

Dr. Li studies strategies to improve indoor air quality and reduce occupant exposure to airborne pollutants in residential and commercial buildings. Her research is focused on smart ventilation and filtration systems that use sensors to automate system operation. She also investigates the impact of occupant activities on indoor pollutant sources and explores the effectiveness of occupant-centric approaches to mitigate these sources. In addition, Dr. Li is working with an interdisciplinary team that includes experts in engineering, epidemiology, medicine, and knowledge translation to improve indoor air quality in community spaces and congregate settings and explore the relationship between indoor air quality and public health policy and guidance. Dr. Li serves as a member of the Indoor Air Quality Advisory Group of the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, which is working to create guidelines for indoor air quality.

• Indoor air quality
• HVAC systems
• Smart ventilation and filtration
• Air cleaning strategies
• Indoor pollutant monitoring
• Filter forensics
• IAQ in community spaces
• Impact of occupant behaviour on IAQ
• Sustainable buildings

• 2021, Doctorate Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada
• 2016, Bachelor of Applied Science Civil and Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto, Canada

• AE 200 - Enclosure Design Studio
  • Taught in 2023, 2024
• AE 405 - Building Performance Measurement Lab
  • Taught in 2022, 2023, 2024
• CIVE 495 - Design Intensive Special Topics in Civil Engineering
  • Taught in 2024
• CIVE 770 - Topics in Environmental Engineering
  • Taught in 2024

* Only courses taught in the past 5 years are displayed.

• Sparks M, Farahbakhsh I, Anand M, Bauch CT, Conlon KC, East JD, Li T, Lickley MJ, Garcia-Menendez F, Monier E, Saari RK. 2023. Interactions of short-term adaptation, climate change mitigation, and climate variability in protecting human health from air pollution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(5), e2215685121. DOI: doi.ORG/10.1073/pnas.221568512
• Katz A, Li T, James L, Siegel JA, O'Campo P. 2023. Systematically omitting indoor air quality: substandard guidance for shelters, group homes and long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Critical Public Health. DOI: 10.1080/09581596.2023.2262736
• Li T, Siegel JA. 2021. The impact of control strategies on filtration performance. Energy & Buildings, 251, 111378. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2021.111378
• Li T, Siegel JA. 2021. Assessing the impact of filtration systems in indoor environments with effectiveness. Building and Environment, 87, 107389. DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107389
• Matava C, Collard V, Siegel J, Denning S, Li T, Du B, Fiadjoe J, Fiset P, Engelhardt T. 2020. Use of a high-flow extractor to reduce aerosol exposure in tracheal intubation. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 125, E363-366. DOI: 10.1016/j.bja.2020.07.014
• Zhang Y, Li T, Siegel JA. 2020. Investigating the impact of filters on long-term particle concentration measurements in residences (RP-1649). Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 26(8), 1037-1047. DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2020.1778402
• Li T, Siegel JA. 2020. Laboratory performance of new and used residential HVAC filters: Comparison to field results (RP-1649). Science and Technology for the Built Environment, 26(6), 844-855. DOI: 10.1080/23744731.2020.1738871
• Li T, Siegel JA. 2020. In-situ efficiency of filters in residential central HVAC systems. Indoor Air, 30(2), 315-325. DOI: 10.1111/ina.12633
• Alavy M, Li T, Siegel JA. 2020. Energy use in residential buildings: Analyses of high-efficiency filters and HVAC fans. Energy & Buildings, 209, Article 109697. DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.109697
• Li T, Alavy M, Siegel JA. 2019. Measurement of residential HVAC runtime. Building and Environment, 150, 99-107. DOI: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.01.004

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• ‘Everyone wants clean air’: Waterloo parent speaks out over public school board’s addressment of air quality in classrooms, CTV News - Kitchener
• Wildfire smoke is in our homes. Here's how to clear out toxic particles, CBC News
• Masking up (again) and other ways to protect yourself from wildfire smoke, CBC News: The National
• School Airflow Upgrades Years Away, Winnipeg Free Press
• Air quality CO2 sensor project will target public school classrooms, CBC News - Kitchener-Waterloo
• Is an $800 purifier best to clean your home's air? Marketplace tested 5 top brands and their claims, CBC Market Place